Potting more goals – The Capitals have scored 12 goals in their last five games recording a 1-2-2 record. Twelve goals are extremely low for the Capitals who rank second in the NHL with a 3.46 goals per game average. In the previous five games the Caps scored 20 goals to go 4-1-0. Washington is 8-1 in games decided by more than one goal.

NOTE OF THE NIGHT

Cloud 9 –Brendan Morrison scored a goal last night, his second in three games and his eighth point (4g-4a) in nine games. His nine points in November are tied for second on the team. Morrison has 18 points in 24 games on the season, which puts him halfway to last year’s goal total (16) and more than halfway to his point total (31). Morrison’s 0.75 points per game are the most he has had since his career-best 71-point season in 2002-03.

FIVE MORE NOTES NO MEDIA PERSON SHOULD BE WITHOUT

Green is going –Mike Green’s seven-game point streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in the league. Green is the only player in the NHL with two point streaks of seven-plus games this season; he has points in 16 of his last 18 games. Green’s 24 points on the year are tied for the league lead among defensemen and he leads the Capitals in scoring in November with 12 points in 10 games.

Green’s 21 assists rank tied for fourth in the NHL and are on pace to break the Capitals’ club record for assists by a defenseman (61, Scott Stevens).

Gnarly Varly –Semyon Varlamov has not lost in regulation in his last five games (3-0-2) and has a 1.78 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in that time. In his last 10 games he is 7-1-2 with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.

Starting something –Alex Ovechkin has scored the game’s first goal five times, second in the league to Jarome Iginla (6), and has scored the Capitals’ first goal eight times in the 18 games he has played. The Capitals are 7-0-3 when Ovechkin scores a goal.

Starting something II – Washington has scored first in 18 of 24 games this year. The Capitals have outscored their opponents 29-12 in the first period and have scored at least one goal in the first period of 20 of their 24 games. In the rare occasions that the Capitals have allowed the first goal they are 4-0-2.

Life of Brian –Defenseman Brian Pothier, who had one assist in his first 13 games, has three goals and four assists in his last nine. He is +7 in that time.

“If you grow up in metro Washington, you grow up a diehard Redskins fan. But if you hate your parents, you grow up a Cowboys fan.”-Jim Lachey